


Lup and Lucretia eat junk food, fall in love, and maybe solve some crimes

by toue



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Buddy Cops, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 04:59:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12763698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toue/pseuds/toue
Summary: Lup is a sidelined rookie at the police station who's out to prove herself.Lucretia's the resident forensic document examiner, with a specialty in analyzing handwriting. She's cute, witty, and exactly Lup's type.When Lup gets tossed a minor blackmail case to investigate while the rest of the station is busy chasing down a serial killer, she isn't expecting to find a ready investigative partner in Lucretia.She also isn't expecting to get caught up in something far bigger than herself by digging too deep but- well, that's how these sort of stories go.Yeah, it's a fucking buddy cop au. Written for #Lupcretiaweekend 2017.





	Lup and Lucretia eat junk food, fall in love, and maybe solve some crimes

**Author's Note:**

> it's all one big chapter bc it felt weird and wrong to break it up! rip!
> 
> first and foremost i want to say don't looking for anything too deep here, this was just for fun. i did take a hint from ace attorney in terms of not at all being accurate in my depictions of law enforcement so don't @ me there
> 
> it's totally modern au no magic but i kept it vaguely not-our-world bc actual police ain't so cute
> 
> as far as minor content warnings go: there's mentions of murder and such but only by name. there's also a near-death experience in here but not of the bloody sort. 
> 
> don't worry it all turns out happy. it's just a pile of tropes ya kno
> 
> have fun happy lupcretia weekend i love these girls!!!!

****It was a gloomy day outside, Neverwinter’s rainy season not yet letting up.

The air in the police station nearly felt thick with a tangible stress; high-profile cases were rarely good for P.R., and recent events were no exception. A serial killer with a flair for the dramatic— it was as horrifying as it was desperately intriguing.

Unfortunately, Lup herself had been given no role in cracking the case. Her usual busy work had been delivered hastily to her desk that morning, and she’d finished it within a couple of hours. Now all she could do was observe her coworkers from the isolation of her cubicle as they handled the interesting stuff.

“Lup!” a voice called, startling her out of her bitter reverie. Lup spun in her chair to face Kravitz— the station’s well-loved coroner, her brother’s boyfriend, and the chump who had helped her get this job.

“Kravitz,” Lup sighed. “Please tell me there’s something new for me to do. I’m dying over here.”

Kravitz cracked a small smile from where he stood over her.

“Actually, yes,” Kravitz said. “I know it’s taken some time, but I’ve finally managed to convince the higher-ups to trust you with a case.”

Lup let out a celebratory whoop, getting a glare from the woman at the cubicle across from her.

“It’s nothing major, but the serial killer case has left us understaffed elsewhere. Hence them sending their coroner as a messenger boy,” Kravitz joked lightly. “It’s a simple blackmail case, and the only thing being exchanged is information. Low-stakes— it should be fairly straightforward. What do you say?”

“Are you kidding me? Of course I’ll take it!” Lup said, beaming. “It’s better than the shit I’ve been doing, that’s for sure. I signed on here to be a _detective_ , not a glorified secretary, for shit’s sake.”

“And perhaps you would be, if you hadn’t picked a fight with Greg Grimmaldis on your first day,” Kravitz sighed. “Look, it’s taken me a fair bit to get you this opportunity, Lup, so please behave. _I_ know you’re brilliant, but the higher-ups here— well, you understand. You’re still on thin ice.”

“I gotcha,” Lup said, beaming, too giddy to be insulted. “No worries, Krav, I’ll play it straight.” She shot him a reassuring finger gun.

Kravitz still looked anxious, but he nodded.

“Alright, Lup,” Kravitz said. “The information about the case should be in these files. I’m also going to put you in touch with our graphologist, to help you look over the blackmail notes.”

“Graphologist?” Lup said.

“Handwriting analyst,” Kravitz clarified. “She deals in all the forensic document examination here, but that’s her specialty.”

“Ooh, okay,” Lup said. “Yeah, can’t hurt. Thanks, Kravitz, I owe you.”

Kravitz seems to sense her impatience, giving a slight laugh before passing over the files.

“Good luck, Lup,” Kravitz said. “Let me know if you need anything… if there’s any dead bodies to examine and whatnot, though I’m sure this case won’t warrant such drama. And, ah…”

“I’ll give Taako a little kiss for you, Krav, don’t worry,” Lup said, winking.

Kravitz smiled sheepishly.

“Ah, would you?” Kravitz said. “I haven’t seen him in a bit, you know how busy things are here…”

“Relax, bud,” Lup said. “Once we pin this killer I’m sure things’ll simmer down enough for you two to go on some ridiculous date. Taako can handle himself until then. Especially since you talk on the phone every night for, like, _two hours_.”

Kravitz nodded, worry seemingly somewhat appeased.

“Thank you, Lup, truly,” Kravitz said. “Oh, and tell Angus that he’s welcome to come shadow me again anytime. Everybody loved him.”

Lup smirked.

“I mean, to be fair, you’d have to be some unique brand of heartless to _not_ love Angus McDonald,” Lup said. “But yeah, sure, I’ll pass the message along. Did Angus have a good time?”

“More than I think is reasonable for a ten-year-old to have examining dead bodies,” Kravitz answered simply, and, yeah, that sounded about right.

“He’s a pretty special kid,” Lup said, nodding sagely.

“That he is,” Kravitz laughed, before stepping away from her cubicle. “See you later.”

 

The case was, as Kravitz put it, fairly straightforward— at least on the surface.

Lucas Miller, the manager of a small loan company, was being blackmailed via snail mail for information on his clients.

The blackmailer was threatening to reveal Mr.Miller’s personal information. The man in question feared for his safety if said information were made public; he probably had quite a few enemies.

The loan company was seedy, for sure, but apparently past investigations had concluded that there was nothing truly illegal going on there. The clientele mainly consisted of desperate fools in bad situations; the company just profited of their failures.

Lup would be happy to let Lucas Miller rot if the perpetrator here didn’t look like an even scarier sort.

The letters were cryptic and only requested weekly summaries of who he’d loaned money to. Who, how much, why, etc. As much as he could offer.

Just information.

Lucas Miller had gone along with this for a couple of months before mustering up the courage to contact the police.

It was more than a little unnerving.

Lup had been poring over this information for about forty-five minutes when she heard uncertain footsteps approach her cubicle and then stop. She glanced upward, meeting the eyes of a meek-looking young woman holding enough books to fill a small home library within her arms.

The woman had flawless dark skin and a shock of cropped white hair; the daring look was strangely as odds with her quiet demeanor.

Lup met her dark eyes, and the woman blinked, looking every bit a deer in the headlights.

“Can I help you, hon?” Lup asked, the endearment slipping off of her tongue before she could hold it back. This stranger just seemed so incredibly vulnerable, and Lup immediately longed to comfort and protect her.

“Oh, ah, yes,” the woman spoke, straightening. “I’m the station’s lead document examiner. Are you, ah… Ms.Fromti’vi?”

“Just Lup,” Lup said. “But yeah, that’s me. Kravitz send you to help me out with this?” Lup gestured to the documents in front of her.

“Yes, actually,” the woman nodded. “Shall I… pull up a chair?” She glanced around, clearly looking for a chair to nab from an unused desk.

“Wait a minute,” Lup said, laughing as she gently caught the woman’s wrist in her hand. “I didn’t get _your_ name yet! That’s hardly fair.”

The woman again looked to be caught off-guard.

“Oh! Well… if we’re going by first names, you can call me Lucretia,” the woman said. “I’m sorry, I honestly hadn’t realized I’d neglected to give my name.”

“It’s nothing, Lucy,” Lup said, and had the pleasure of watching Lucretia’s face somehow grow even darker with a blush.

“It’s— it’s Lucretia, please,” Lucretia spoke hurriedly, before turning away to drag over the old wooden chair next to the water cooler.

In this momentary respite, Lup was surprise to feel her heart pounding faster in her chest.

_Huh. Been a while since I had a crush._

 

“The author of these blackmail notes— they were sloppy, but not quite sloppy enough,” Lucretia sighed. “I’m afraid I don’t recognize this handwriting from any past perpetrator. And I would— this script is very distinctive.”

Lucretia leaned over the note, tracing her finger through the air as though following the looping curves of the author’s cursive. She’d insisted on wearing gloves to examine the evidence, even though the notes were already encased in plastic.

“Is there anything else you can tell me?” Lup said, frowning.

“Oh, plenty,” Lucretia said easily. “The author is definitely left-handed, and for all of their glamour they’re likely the impatient sort— you’ve noticed how the ink is smeared, yes? That’s from the side of their hand running back over their ink when they move to the next line. Though that’s hardly an advanced deduction.”

Lup squinted at the note— she hadn’t noticed it herself, actually, but Lucretia was right.

“Huh,” Lup said.

“Clearly the perpetrator wasn’t careless enough to write _these_ letters without gloves of some sort, but you might still look for ink smears on a suspect’s left hand,” Lucretia said. “It could be enough to help implicate somebody.”

Lup nodded, happy to have that detail to go on. It’s not like she’d found much of anything else yet.

It was at that moment that her computer beeped, alerting her of a new email to her work address.

“Give me a moment, babe,” Lup said, swiveling to face her computer and quickly skimming the email.

“Is everything okay?” Lucretia asked after a moment of silence.

Lup grinned, not turning from the computer.

“Actually, this is perfect. Just what we need,” Lup said. “More data. Apparently the loan company got another blackmail note. They want me to head over and take a look.”

Lup saw Lucretia perk up in her peripheral.

“I’ll certainly take a look at the note, if you need me to,” Lucretia said. “Hopefully it’ll have more clues than these past ones have.”

“Perfect!” Lup said, standing and grabbing her purse from behind her monitor. “Come on!”

“Wait— you want me to come with you?” Lucretia asked. “Why?”

“This way you can look over this note sooner rather than later!” Lup said. “And an extra pair of eyes for everything else could come in handy, too.” Honestly, Lup just wanted the company. And Lucretia was cute, and Lup was gay, etc. etc.

“Oh, I mean… okay, well, fine. I don’t have another assignment, anyway,” Lucretia said. “Let me go grab my bag from my office. Five minutes?”

“Sounds good!” Lup grinned. “Meet me out back in the staff parking lot!”

 

Fifteen minutes saw the both of them in Lup’s car, trudging through city traffic. The rain was coming down hard; Lup let the steady rhythm of the windshield wipers ground her. She was, admittedly, a bit nervous about this case.

Lucretia was silent, currently occupied with picking at a pack of slightly-stale Oreos Lup had offered her from her glove compartment. Lup hadn’t expected Lucretia to accept them.

“Did you want one?” Lucretia offered after a bit, holding an Oreo out to her.

“Naw, it’s cool,” Lup said. “I don’t even like them, anyway.”

Lup saw Lucretia raise an inquisitive eyebrow in her peripheral.

“Why do you have them in your car if you don’t eat them?” Lucretia asked, clearly trying to puzzle out the mystery Oreos.

“Oh, my nephew loves the things, so I keep them around,” Lup said, smiling. “But it’s probably time I bought more anyway.”

“Yes, these are a bit stale,” Lucretia agreed, while popping another into her mouth.

Lup frowned.

“You don’t have to eat them if you don’t want them, you know,” Lup said. “I won’t be offended.”

Lucretia took a moment to swallow the cookie before responding.

“Nonsense,” Lucretia said. “I’m doing these cookies a service; I’m saving them from a slow death in the confines of your glove compartment.”

Lup was stunned silent for a moment by Lucretia’s sudden playfulness before she burst into a fit a giggles.

“I guess I didn’t think of it that way,” Lup said. “Feel free to put them out of their misery, then.”

“Gladly,” Lucretia said, resuming her generous volunteer work.

Lup’s GPS finally led them to a residential neighborhood in the far north of the city.

Miller’s Loans was freestanding but unassuming otherwise; its most distinct feature was an overgrown tree that grew beside it, reaching in a curve to lean precariously over the building.

“It almost looks quaint,” Lucretia noted as they exited the car.

“I think he was probably going for ‘low-profile,’” Lup said. “I don’t trust it.”

“Well, of course not,” Lucretia said. “This business may not be illegal, but it’s certainly unethical. It’s just a shame we can’t arrest people on charges of being sleezeballs alone.”

Lup huffed out a laugh, again surprised by Lucretia’s gall.

“Well,” Lup said. “Shall we go meet the sleezeball in question?”

“If we must,” Lucretia said.

Lup reached the door first, and gave the door a few quick raps before noticing the doorbell. She proceeded to jam that a few times, hearing a bell chime within the building repeatedly.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” a nasally voice called from within, sounding equal parts irritated and exhausted.

A moment later, the door opened, revealing— well, pretty much exactly what Lup expected. Lucas Miller was a scrawny, pathetic-looking man, skin greasy and red with thinning, unkempt hair. His file said he was in his mid-twenties, but he looked twice his age.

He was currently wearing what Lup hoped were his pajamas— she doubted he’d be conducting business in wrinkled Dr.Who pajama pants.

“Sorry, we’re not open,” Miller sniffed. “Uh, until further notice. Yeah.” He was about to close the door on them— Lup caught it with her foot, and felt no small amount of satisfaction at the startled look on Miller’s face.

“Actually, I’m not so much a customer,” Lup said. “I’m Lup. You know, Fromti’vi? I’ve been assigned to investigate your case.”

Miller relaxed somewhat.

“Oh, yeah, I was told you’d be coming,” Miller said. “Uh, come in, Ms. Fromti’vi. And… uh?” Lucas looked pointedly at Lucretia.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Lucretia said, laughing nervously. “I’m just here to assist Lup with analyzing the document in question.”

Miller nodded.

“Right, yes, let me grab that,” Miller said, scurrying off but leaving the door ajar, presumably for them to step inside. Lup did so easily, holding the door for Lucretia, who entered more uncertainly.

It became clearer, once inside, that Miller’s Loans had once been a household. For all that Miller had tried to make it appear professional, this building was clearly designed for something more domestic.

Lup and Lucretia entered into a repurposed living room, which now held only a desk and chairs. The air smelled musty and stale. A tall bookshelf was positioned conspicuously in front of a door, rendering it completely inaccessible. The beige shag carpet beneath them could definitely stand to be cleaned, or perhaps just set on fire.

 _To do it a service_ , as Lucretia would say.

Miller returned to them a moment later, sitting down at the desk and gesturing for them to sit across from him. Lucretia propped herself in a chair cautiously, clearly tentative about touching anything in Miller’s Loans. Lup was similarly disgusted, but she’d definitely been in grosser places before. She took a seat easily, peering at the letter in Miller’s quivering hands.

“I got this one this morning— it was, ah, in my mailbox, so I’m not sure how long it’d been there for,” Miller said. “I last checked my mail two days ago, so it probably arrived sometime since then.”

“Are you talking about your home mailbox, or…?” Lup prompted.

“Well, the one outside. This is kind of home for me right now,” Miller said sheepishly.

“Gotcha,” Lup said. Made sense.

“The, well, the letters— they come with the regular mail, so, uh, the stake-out thing won’t work,” Miller said. “The return address is to some nondescript P.O. Box. That’s where I send my responses.”

All of this had been in Lup’s files, but it was good to hear confirmation.

“Can we see today’s letter?” Lup asked. Miller pushed it across the desk toward her as though handling a bomb.

 

_I see you’ve been keeping your shop closed lately, darling. Are you in good health?_

_I do hope so. After all, how will you keep your mother’s home if you aren’t working for it? No good will come to anybody so lazy._

_If you keep this up, Mr.Miller, I may grow tired of protecting you and your reputation. But I’m sure you’ll be working again soon, yes?_

_I’ll expect your usual letter to arrive by Saturday._

_Be well, Mr.Miller!_

The note appeared to be written in the perpetrator’s usual style. Lup glanced to Lucretia for confirmation, but she appeared to be deep in thought, lips moving silent as she examined the note. Lup redirected her attention to Miller for the time being.

“What does this mean, about your mother’s house?” Lup asked.

Miller seemed to shrink beneath the question.

“Uh, well, pretty much what it sounds like,” Miller said. “This house we’re in is my mother’s. _Was,_ my mother’s. She passed a couple of years ago, and this business has been the only thing keeping me from foreclosure. I’m not— I’m not _proud_ of what I’m doing here, you know. But Mom loved this house, you know? I can’t— I can’t just lose it!”

Lup perked one eyebrow in response, giving Miller a deliberate look.

“Well, I’m sure she’d love what you’ve done with the place,” Lup deadpanned. Miller looked appropriately admonished, at least.

It was then that Lucretia spoke up, sounding disheartened.

“This perpetrator’s consistent, I’ll give them that,” Lucretia said. “Everything about this letter aligns with the previous ones. I can, at least, confirm with certainty that they’ve all been from the same sender. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more right now.”

Miller sighed.

“I kind of expected as much,” Miller said. “But— you’re still going to figure this out, right?”

“That’s our job,” Lup confirmed. “And as much as I dislike you, I’m growing to dislike whoever’s sending you these notes even more.”

“Uh… thanks?” Miller said.

“Wasn’t a compliment, dear,” Lup said, pulling out her chair and standing. “In any case, don’t worry too much. We’ll have this sorted out in no time.”

Miller handed the note over before they left, explaining that he’d already made himself a photocopy.

The car ride back was quiet, at first, Lucretia clearly as frustrated by the lack of new leads as Lup was. Lup ended up turning on the radio after a moment, if only to break the numbing silence.

“... _in regards to the alleged serial killer that’s been at large. The criminal has been unofficially dubbed the Neverwinter Nightmare by some circles, citing the killer’s proclivity for killing their victims using torturous and gory methods.”_

Lup leaned over, turning up the radio.

“ _According to a statement from local authorities, there’ve been important developments made in the case recently, but they caution citizens to remain vigilant nonetheless_ ,” the newsman droned.

Lucretia snorted.

“Bullshit,” she said. “They’re as stumped with their case as we are with this one.”

Lup snickered, the tension in the car broken.

“They totally are,” Lup said. “ _God_ , what a ridiculous name, too. _The Neverwinter Nightmare_? Does _not_ roll of the tongue.”

Lucretia smirked.

“Think you can do better?” she challenged.

Lup grinned wickedly, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel in thought.

“ _Springtime’s Carnage_ ,” Lup said. “Simple and catchy without being campy.”

“Yes, that’s good,” Lucretia said, nodding sagely. “Perhaps you should go into branding and P.R. for these criminal sorts.”

Lup laughed easily.

“What do you have, then?” Lucretia asked. “Can you think of a name for our mysterious killer?”

Lucretia pursed her lips in thought.

“The Reason Dr.Kravitz is Working Overtime Again?” Lucretia offered. “A _Secretarial_ Nightmare?”

Lup found herself in a fit of giggles, slowing her car to avoid swerving as she composed herself.

“Oh, _yes. Beware_ the _horrible_ Copblock!” Lup said. “They’ll evade arrest for months _and_ render the police station an insufferable place to work while doing so!”

Lucretia let out a high peal of laughter that had Lup struck by an overwhelming wave of affection.

“ _Copblock_ , that’s great,” Lucretia giggled. “Let’s call them that from now on. We’ll get Dr.Kravitz in on it, too.”

“Oh, for sure,” Lup said, still feeling slightly out-of-breath. “Krav will love it.”

The rain was finally starting to let up, the clouds parting to let blinding sunlight through. Lup squinted, reaching out for the sunglasses she kept on her dashboard and slipping them on.

“You seem very familiar with Dr.Kravitz,” Lucretia said. “Are you two close?”

“Yeah, well, he’s been dating my brother for a while now,” Lup said, grinning. “They’re insufferably lovey-dovey; it’s really only a matter of time before Kravitz proposes, at this point.”

Lucretia pressed a hand to her heart.

“That’s _wonderful_ ,” she said, sounding genuinely touched. “I’m glad he has somebody special. He works too hard, you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Lup said. “Trust me, we’ve tried to stage all sorts of interventions, but nothing sticks. Dude just loves being around dead bodies, I guess.”

 “And who can blame him?” Lucretia spoke. “They’re wonderful listeners.”

Lup laughed, immensely grateful that Lucretia now felt comfortable enough with her to joke around like this.

 “Hey, do you want to stop through the Sonic drive-through on the way back?” Lup offered, on a whim. “My treat.”

 

Lup entered her shared apartment still sipping on a massive, half-melted shake. She walked into the kitchen and crept up on Taako, who was covered in flour and stirring some sort of batter.

Taako turned to greet her before she could surprise him, but his eyes immediately flitted down to the shake in her hand.

“My dearest sister— did you truly go to Sonic without me?” Taako said, gasping theatrically. “At _least_ tell me you brought me back something.”

Lup chuckled, mussing up Taako’s hair playfully.

“Sorry, bro, not this time,” Lup said. “Ya girl had a hot date. Sort of.”

Taako’s scowl was replaced with a look of true shock, which— well, Lup was a _little_ insulted about.

“Okay, no, wait, hold on,” Taako said, reaching out and pulling Lup over to the island counter, sitting her on a bar stool and plopping down beside her. “I’m going to need some fucking _details_ here, Lulu.”

“Well, I mean, it probably wasn’t a date, actually,” Lup backtracked. “We’re working on a case together, but— I wanted it to be a date, you know? She’s the cutest thing in the _world_ , Taako. I _swear_. She was super shy at first but then she had all this hidden snark too and this _gorgeous_ laugh…”

Lup trailed off, her cheeks hurting from smiling, terrible ooey-gooey feelings festering within her heart.

Taako was silent for a moment, simply staring at her.

“Well, _shit,_ Lu,” Taako said. “You got it _bad_.”

Lup groaned.

“I _know_!” Lup said. “And it sucks kind of because Kravitz got me this case and I promised him I’d play it straight but now I’m getting all _distracted_.”

“Yeah, you’re playing it pretty gay right now,” Taako quipped, smirking.

“Shut _up_ ,” Lup said, punching him lightly in the arm.

“Tell me more about this chick,” Taako said. “And not just about her enchanting smile or whatever.”

“Her name’s Lucretia,” Lup said. “She’s a forensic document examiner at the station. She was looking over some evidence for my case, and we didn’t figure out much, but then she tagged along for my investigations today, and, well.”

“Does Kravitz know her, do you think?” Taako asked.

“Oh, yeah, he totally does,” Lup said. “He’s the one who put me in touch with her in the first place. Don’t— don’t you _dare_ tell Kravitz that I’m crushing on her, but— if you _wanted_ to ask him for more info on her, I’d allow it.”

“So long as I tell you what he says?” Taako filled in, grinning mischievously.

“Got it in one,” Lup confirmed.

The sound of socked footsteps on linoleum drew their attention— one Angus McDonald stood in the threshold of the kitchen, looking hesitant.

“Hello, Aunt Lup,” Angus said. “I heard you get home, so I came down to say hi— am I interrupting something?”

“Naw, nothing important, boychik,” Taako said. “Come here.” Angus walked over; Taako hefted the boy up onto his lap. Angus was probably too old for this sort of treatment, but Taako was set on babying him as long as possible, and Angus (bless him) was patient enough to indulge him.

“Your auntie has a crush on somebody at the station,” Taako said. “I was grilling her for deets, is all.”

Angus perked up in interest.

“Oh! Do I know them?” he asked.

That’s right— Angus had shadowed Kravitz at the station last week. He’d talked to lots of Lup’s coworkers.

“You might,” Lup said. “Did you meet a Lucretia?”

Angus immediately brightened in recognition at the name.

“Oh, the graphologist?” Angus said. “She was very nice! She made me some tea and let me sit in her office when the station got too loud! Did you know she can write with both hands?”

“Ambidextrous?” Taako supplied.

“No, I mean— well, yes, but,” Angus said, “she can write with both hands _at the same time_.”

“ _Christ,_ ” Lup breathed, grinning.

“That’s one weird party trick,” Taako murmured. “But she seems pretty solid otherwise. Why didn’t you tell me it got too loud in the station, Ango?”

“Oh, it wasn’t a big deal!” Angus assured him. “People were very good and nice to me there when it happened.”

Taako rubbed his hand over Angus’ frizz of hair, frowning slightly. Lup knew he worried about Angus even more than he’d admit out loud.

“It was nice of her to make you tea,” Lup mused. “Wonder if she’d make me some if I asked?”

“I bet she would!” Angus said. “She had a lot of tea in her office, and I don’t think she has many visitors to drink it— most of it looked like it hadn’t been touched for a very long time!”

For all that Angus was trying to reassure Lup, this only made her worry about Lucretia.

“Thanks for letting me know, Ango,” Lup said nonetheless. She’d definitely have to pay Lucretia a visit or five in the future.

A shadow of uncertainty suddenly fell across Angus’ expression.

“There _was_ something kind of… _odd_ about her, though,” Angus said, frowning slightly. “I mean, not in a bad way! She’s definitely a good person. I’m sure of that much, and you know I’m a very good judge of character! But… I think she’s hiding something.”

“Ooh, now we’re talking,” Taako said. “Were you doing some detective work?”

“Well, not too much,” Angus said sheepishly. “It wasn’t really my business to pry, I don’t think. But I got the impression that there was more to her story than she was willing to divulge. I could tell she was trying to evade my questions.”

“Huh,” Lup said, uncertain how to feel about that information. It didn’t quite fit in with the picture of Lucretia that she had in her mind— but, well, she’d only really known the woman for a day. “Well, I’ll see what I can figure out, bud.”

Angus nodded.

“She really is a good person, Aunt Lup, and I can see why you like her!” Angus said. “So don’t worry too much. I think a lot of people have parts of their past they’d rather keep secret!”

Lup laughed lightly.

“Well, you’re not wrong,” she said, standing and leaning over to give Angus a kiss on the forehead. “I’m going to go sleep off this garbage food. I’ll see you all in the morning?”

“You got it,” Taako said.

“Goodnight, Aunt Lup!” Angus called.

 

Lup made a beeline for Lucretia’s office after arriving at the station. She rapped twice at the closed door, rocking on the heels of her feet as she waited for a response.

The door opened to reveal Lucretia, face half hidden behind a large mug of steaming tea.

“Oh! Lup!” Lucretia said. “I wasn’t expecting you. Are there any developments on the case?” Lucretia paused before opening the door wider to allow Lup entry, almost as an afterthought.

Lup stepped inside, taking a quick look around at Lucretia’s space. It was mostly unremarkable. Lup did, however, notice an almost excessive amount of house plants, potted in every corner of the room.

“Just thought I’d pop in to say hello,” Lup said. “Do you have a green thumb?”

“Oh, no, not really,” Lucretia said, smiling bashfully. “I can keep them alive, but not much else. It’s my friend Merle— he owns a plant shop, and, well…”

“Shit, no way!” Lup interrupted, causing Lucretia to jump slightly. “We love Merle! He’s an old family friend!”

“I’m beginning to think he’s a friend of everybody’s,” Lucretia said, shaking her head fondly. “It seems no matter who I meet, they’ll have _some_ story about him. I never would’ve thought him to be such a socialite.”

“It’s all those party points,” Lup said, nodding sagely.

“Yes, so I’ve heard,” Lucretia agrees. “Say, did Merle ever tell you about the time Dr.Kravitz ran him down with his car?”

“Only vaguely— Kravitz won’t talk about it and you know how Merle’s memory can be,” Lup said. “Why, do you have the full story?”

“Hmm, I _may_ ,” Lucretia said, grinning wickedly. “It happened right outside the station here, at the end of the workday, actually, so we all saw it. In Dr.Kravitz’s defense, he’d had a rough day— and Merle _did_ come out of nowhere.”

Lup took a seat at the chair positioned in front of Lucretia’s desk, swiveling it to face her. She crossed her legs at the ankles and held her hands in her lap, ever the picture of a fully attentive audience. And oh, _was she_.

Lucretia laughed lightly at Lup’s presentation before continuing.

“Dr.Kravitz was backing out of the parking lot a bit too quickly, eager to get home,” Lucretia said. “Not paying attention at all, honestly. Enter Merle, stage right— _completely_ oblivious to the car about to peg him. We were screaming at them both by then, but it was already too late.”

Lup exaggerated a gasp.

“Oh _dear_!” Lup said. “Well, what happened? Did they live?”

“Unfortunately,” Lucretia droned, which had Lup slapping at her knee as she burst into laughter.

Lucretia continued.

“Dr.Kravitz was going fast enough that Merle was thrown a full three feet,” Lucretia said. “And Merle’s such an old, tiny thing, you know— so that didn’t help either. He landed on his arm and broke it. And Dr.Kravitz— well, he was distraught, of course. He still feels terrible about it. It was a mess— Dr.Kravitz trying to help Merle, voice going hoarse with apologies, while Merle tried to brush him off, claiming the gods would favor him with a fast recovery, or whatever.”

Lup is breathless from laughter at this point.

“Sounds incredible,” Lup said, wiping a tear away.

“It absolutely was,” Lucretia said. “At the time I didn’t know either of them well enough to be anything but incredibly concerned, but now I’ll gladly laugh at the both of them for it.”

“Thank you, Lucretia,” Lup said. “I’m wholly indebted to you for such a wonderful story.”

Lucretia’s bashfulness seemed to come back to her all at once, a red blush spreading across her face.

“No, don’t be silly. I’ll tell that story to anybody who will listen,” Lucretia brushed off. “Oh— did you want something to drink? I have some nice tea.”

“Yeah, for sure,” Lup said. “I was actually waiting for you to ask. My nephew says you have quite the selection.”

Lucretia looked momentarily confused.

“Your nephew— oh!” Lucretia face-palmed. “Angus McDonald. Of course. Dr.Kravitz said Angus was his significant other’s son, after all, and if he’s dating your brother…”

“Yup, you solved my family tree puzzle,” Lup said. Lucretia rubbed at the back of her neck, sheepish.

“Let me just— grab that tea,” Lucretia said. “Did you have a preference? I could just bring out my box…”

 

Kravitz walked in on them chatting over their tea not ten minutes later.

“I didn’t realize you were entertaining guests, Lucretia,” Kravitz quipped, leaning against her doorframe. “I would have brought some cookies.”

“You know as well as I do that there’s no other assignments for me at the moment,” Lucretia said, smiling as she sipped her tea. “You’re welcome to join us.”

“I do know that _you_ have nothing better to do, yes,” Kravitz said. “Lup here, on the other hand, _does_ have a case to be solving.”  
Lup glared, indignant, even as she felt her cheeks redden.

“How do you know we weren’t talking about the case?” Lup said. “Maybe we were making some crucial headway before you so rudely interrupted us!”

“Oh, yes,” Lucretia said, smirking. “We’ve actually finished up with the Miller case and moved on the world hunger. We’re _this close_ to cracking it, Dr.Kravitz.”

“Oh? In that case, I suppose I should leave you two be,” Kravitz said, chuckling. “It’s good to see you relaxing somewhat, Lucretia. I hope this good mood lasts.”

Lucretia ducked her head, a bashful smile playing on her lips.

“Well…” Lucretia began. “Yes, okay. Thank you, Dr.Kravitz.”

“You can just call me Kravitz, Lucretia. I promise I don’t mind,” Kravitz said, before turning to Lup. “Lup, don’t slack off too much on that case of yours. You know what a big deal this is.”

“Yeah, I gotcha, Krav,” Lup said. “I’m on it.”

Kravitz nodded, appeased for the moment. He bid them farewell and left them to their tea.

“I don’t want to keep you if you have work to do,” Lucretia said. “We can always continue this another time.”

Lup huffed out a sigh.

“Honestly, I’m kind of putting off getting back to work,” Lup said. “I’m stumped. I was thinking that I’d drive out to the post office where Miller’s sending his letters, but who knows what good that’ll do?”

“It can’t hurt to investigate,” Lucretia said. “Have you gotten in touch with the employees at the post office to see if they have any information?”

“They don’t,” Lup said. “The box was opened by a man who died of natural causes a few years back, so… that’s a dead end.”

Lucretia drummed her fingers on her desk, appearing to be in thought.

“I mean… if you needed an extra pair of eyes today, or just somebody to gripe to,” Lucretia began, “I could come along. It’s like I told Dr… it’s like I told _Kravitz_ — I don’t have any particular assignment today, and I _know_ I’ll start getting bored here very soon.”

Lup felt a wide grin stretch across her face, and reached across the desk to grab Lucretia’s hands before she could think twice about it.

“You mean it?” Lup said, beaming.

It was then that she became aware of the feeling of Lucretia’s hands in hers.

They were far smaller than her own, but they were surprisingly rough, callused from years of overuse. Still, they felt delicate in a way that made Lup almost fearful— as though she could break these gifted hands just by holding them in her own clumsy ones.

Lucretia gave Lup’s hands a firm squeeze, startling Lup into looking back up at Lucretia. She wasn’t sure when her gaze had drifted down to their connected hands, but now her eyes were back on Lucretia’s, and she all at once felt completely lost in the rich browns of Lucretia’s irisis.

“Lup?” Lucretia asked, sounding concerned.

Abruptly, Lup was back in the real world, where she’d probably been silent far too long.

 _Fuck_ , she was gay.

“Uh, sorry,” Lup laughed. “Guess I got lost in thought. But you really want to come with?”

Lucretia gave Lup’s hands another squeeze— why hadn’t either of them let go yet? Well, Lup certainly wasn’t going to be the one to do it.

“Of course,” Lucretia said. “I’ve had fun with you recently. Let me help you out, if I can.”

Lup nodded, and kept nodding.

“Yeah, okay. Should we…?” Lup glanced over at the door, and then at their hands.

“Oh, right,” Lucretia said, finally letting go and standing up. “Let’s head out, then.”

Lup’s hands felt cold and empty where Lucretia’s had held them moments prior. She stuffed them into her pockets.

It wasn’t the same, but it would have to be enough.

 

“I don’t suppose you have any more Oreos?” Lucretia asked, after a few minutes of Lup driving in silence.

“I think they’re all gone,” Lup said. “You granted them the mercy of eternal slumber yesterday, remember?”

Lucretia nodded, sobered.

“I regret nothing,” Lucretia said. “Though perhaps I should have saved a few for today’s journey.”

“So— you regret _some_ things,” Lup corrected.

“Yes,” Lucretia said. “Two or three stale Oreos. Those are my regrets.”

The GPS was guiding them to a Southwest suburb just outside of the city. Lup had never been there herself, but she knew there wasn’t all too much out there. It was home mostly to large warehouses and factories.

They watched as the city flattened out and buildings became scarcer. By the time they reached their destination, it felt as though they’d traveled somewhere completely foreign, though they were only truly thirty minutes out.

The post office was in slight disrepair, but it seemed busy enough; the parking lot was nearly filled, even though they hadn’t spotted a single residential neighborhood in the suburb so far.

Their investigation of the post office itself turned out to be entirely useless. Sure, they saw the box where Miller was sending his notes— but it was out of sight of their security cameras, and the post office was too busy for the workers to have taken note of any client in particular.

Lup and Lucretia left once again feeling disheartened. They piled into Lup’s car.

“Want to see what sort of grub we can find out here?” Lup asked, putting on a smile.

“Nothing good, I’m sure,” Lucretia said. “But I’d be happy to be proven wrong. Let’s see where the afternoon takes us.”

As it turned out, the afternoon took them to a run-down strip mall. Lup was certain she’d seen some signage indicating there’d be food here, and Lucretia was thankfully willing to explore a bit.

They walked past the shops that bordered the large parking lot. There were several that were boarded up, but the businesses that _were_ still open appeared be doing well enough.

Lup was silently praying for some sign of food— she was so _hungry_ — when she heard Lucretia let out a soft gasp.

Lup turned, realizing that Lucretia had stopped walking entirely and was gaping at a shopfront for a tattoo parlor.

Lup sped over.

“Are you okay? What’s going on?” Lup asked.

Lucretia pointed to a handwritten sign in the shop’s window: _Cash Only._

“I mean, yeah, I guess it is pretty weird to find a place that doesn’t accept credit these days,” Lup said.

“No, _no_ ,” Lucretia said. “The _handwriting_ , Lup. Give me the files!”

Lup fumbled, reaching into her bag and after a moment pulling out the evidence for the case. Lucretia reached out and pulled the most recent blackmail note, not bothering to put on gloves.

“ _Look_ ,” Lucretia said, pushing the note into Lup’s hand.

And— _oh_. It didn’t take a professional to see that the handwriting here was a match. Their culprit’s script was distinctive, and the loops and frills of the letters on the sign here matched it perfectly.

“Good fucking _eye_ , Lucy,” Lup said. “Holy _shit._ I would’ve totally missed that.”

Lucretia let out a shaky breath.

“Now what?” she asked.

There was a brief beat of silence as they considered it.

And in the next moment, Lup was putting the files away and striding toward the shop.

“Wait— Lup!” Lucretia spoke, scurrying after her. “ _Lup_!”

A bell tinkled on the door as Lup entered, and a tall, lanky tattooed man with shoulder-length emerald hair beamed at her.

“Welcome to Wonderland!” he said. “How can I assist?”

And Lup _froze_.

Lucretia walked right into her back, sending Lup’s purse tumbling to the floor, some of its contents spilling out. Lup quickly kneeled, scrambling to shove any incriminating documents back inside.

And then Lucretia spoke up.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Lucretia said. “My friend here, she’d like a tattoo— forgive her clumsiness, she’s a little scared.” Lucretia let out a breathy giggle that to Lup’s ears was clearly falsified. The man, however, appeared none-the-wiser.

 “Oh, yes, I _completely_ understand,” he cooed, before turning to Lup. She’d managed to straighten her things out and stand back up again.

“Rest assured that you’re in good hands, darling,” the man said. “We take _pride_ in our work here.”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Lup said. “Sorry, it’s just— needles, you know?” Lup winced internally at her sub-par acting.

“Yes, yes, sharp and pokey and whatnot,” the man spoke. “But there are far worse things in this world than needles, dear.”

Lup exchanged a troubled glance with Lucretia.

“Um, before we start, though,” Lucretia said. “I saw that you only accept cash?”

The man nodded.

“Yes, I’m afraid that’s the policy,” he said.

“In that case, could you direct us to the nearest ATM?” Lucretia said. “And— I don’t mean to trouble you, but a map would be helpful, if it isn’t nearby. I get lost very easily, and my friend— well, she’s not much help in this state, you see.”

The man let out a boisterous laugh.

“Oh, dear!” he said. “Of course, yes. I’ll draw you one right now. There’s a bank just down the block, but… oh, where’s my pen?”

“Edward, let me do it,” a voice spoke from the back. A woman approached seemingly out of nowhere, pulling a pen from her pocket. “You know that your handwriting is absolutely illegible.”

Edward pouted as the woman took out a piece of paper from inside their desk, sketching out a quick map. She pulled the pen away with a flourish, smearing the ink somewhat as she did so.

“Oh, are you left handed?” Lucretia asked. “My mother was, as well.”

To another’s ears it may have sounded like a simple observation, but Lup recognized it for what it was: a cue.

_This is it. This is who we’re looking for. Be careful._

“It’s one of my many quirks,” the woman laughed. She handed Lucretia the map. “We’ll be seeing you soon then, yes?”

“Yeah,” Lup replied simply, feeling winded.

“As long as this one doesn’t get cold feet,” Lucretia joked, laughing that horribly false laugh again. “Oh, what was your name, by the way?”

“I’m Lydia,” the woman spoke. “This is Edward.”

“Alright,” Lucretia nodded. “Thank you _so much_ for your help!” She grabbed Lup’s hand and pulled her outside.

They walked halfway across the parking lot before they felt safe enough to break the silence.

“That— holy shit,” Lup breathed.

Lucretia burst into a fit of hysterical giggles.

“We got them, Lup!” Lucretia said. “There’s no _way_ Lydia isn’t the one writing these notes and now— we have proof enough to indict her!” Lucretia waved the map above her head, which bared the same, familiar handwriting.

“That was _amazing_ , Lucretia,” Lup laughed. “Holy _fuck_. I did _not_ mean to clam up like that. You saved me.”

Lucretia shook her head.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” she dismissed. “I’m just glad it worked out.”

Lup was about to protest when she caught sight of the metaphorical cherry on top of their success.

“Is that a fucking _Chipotle_ I see?”

 

The Chipotle was mostly empty, though there was a man sitting in the booth in front of them. Lup had briefly entertained herself by trying to read his newspaper over his shoulder but gave up after her hunger became too overwhelming to concentrate.

Lucretia finally returned with her drink, and that was as long as Lup was willing to wait to start eating. She was _more_ than ready to dig into her very large burrito. She’d just sent Taako an amazing selfie of herself posing with it to piss him off. It’d worked.

Eagerly, Lup began to feast. Lucretia laughed at the vigor with which she tore into her food.

“Thank god we found this Chipotle,” Lucretia said. “Who knows how much longer you could’ve lasted without food?”

“I require constant sustenance,” Lup said. “Surely you understand, Oreo Girl.”

“Is that a thing now?” Lucretia said. “I wasn’t aware that enjoying Oreos was a _fucking_ crime.”

Lup cackled.

“I’ll have to turn you in, Lucy,” Lup said. “Along with those Wonderland creeps. I’m turning you in for loving Oreos too fucking much.”

“If loving Oreos is wrong, I don’t want to be right,” Lucretia proclaimed before taking a long sip of her lemonade.

Their attention was then diverted for a time by their food. In the silence, Lup found herself glancing at the stranger’s newspaper again, skimming its headlines from afar.

He turned a page, and a large headline caught Lup’s eye:

_Neverwinter Nightmare claims life of Wood, Ernest James_

She found herself repeating the headline in her head, feeling as though there was something wrong about it.

After a time, she was only focusing on the name.

_Ernest James Wood._

It seemed… familiar.

And all of a sudden, Lup lost her appetite, her hunger replaced with an overwhelming dread.

“Lucy, I think…” Lup trailed off. Lucretia looked up, frowning in concern as she saw Lup’s state.

“What is it?” Lucretia asked. “Did you eat too fast?”

“Well— yes, but… hold on,” Lup said. Her hands were shaking as she pulled out a list from her purse— the list of Miller’s clients, the information he’d given to the blackmailers.

Lup passed it to Lucretia, not trusting her own eyes.

“Can you tell me whether there’s there an Ernest James Wood on that list?” Lup asked.

Lucretia’s brows furrowed in clear confusion, but she obliged, skimming the list.

“ _Ernest James Wood_ ,” Lucretia recited. “Took out a loan for an engagement ring two weeks ago.”

Lup was already pulling out her phone, googling a list of current victims at the hands of the “Neverwinter Nightmare.”

“I’m pulling up a list of victims credited to that serial killer,” Lup explained. “Can you mark off any names that match with Miller’s clients?”

Lucretia was already nodding, pulling out a highlighter from her pocket.

“Okay, the first victim… Theodore Brown,” Lup read. She didn’t dare to look up, but the squeak of a highlighter running across paper told her all she needed to know.

“Theodore Brown, took out a loan for a houseboat three months ago,” Lucretia said.

Lup’s heart sank.

“Ariana Richards,” Lup read.

“She took out a loan for her friend’s bachelorette party in late March,” Lucretia said, dragging the highlighter across the page.

They continued onward like that, Lup growing more and more fearful as each name matched with one of Miller’s.

Lup reached the end of the list of credited victims. She looked up to see Lucretia’s hand trembling, the page of Miller’s clients glaring yellow.

_Dead, dead, dead._

“It’s them,” Lucretia said softly. “It has to be. They’re blackmailing Miller for his client’s information so that they can…” Lucretia trailed off, looking ill. The common denominator in every Nightmare murder was indescribable torture.

The idea that Edward or Lydia might have been the masterminds behind so much horror…

Lup shook her head.

“We have to get out of here,” she said. “Get to the station. I’ll call Krav right now and let him know we’re coming.”

Lucretia nodded. Lup pulled up the familiar contact and hit dial.

The voice that answered wasn’t the one that she was expecting.

“Hello? Aunt Lup?” Angus spoke.

Lup’s heart sank.

“Hi, honey,” Lup said, trying to keep her tone even. “Why do you have Kravitz’s phone? Is he nearby?”

“Dad had to deal with an issue at the restaurant so he dropped me off here with Mr.Kravitz!” Angus said. “He’s looking at a body right now, so he couldn’t pick up his phone.”

“Could you go get him? It’s a bit of an emergency,” Lup said. “I mean, nothing I can’t handle, natch. But— I _do_ need to talk to Krav.”

“Oh— an emergency?” Angus said. “I… I guess I can tell him you need him. Are you okay?”

Lup chewed her lip, glancing up at Lucretia, who looked intensely sympathetic.

“We’re fine, hon,” Lup said. “It’s just a matter of keeping it that way.”

“Okay,” Angus said. “I guess I’ll just—”

And then the line went dead.

“ _Shit!_ ” Lup cursed, pulling her phone away from her ear to examine it. “I must’ve fucking drained the battery looking up those names. It’s dead.”

Lucretia pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Let’s— let’s get back to the car. I left my phone inside,” Lucretia said. “I have Kravitz’s number, so I can call back.”

 

They walked quickly and silently, equal parts focused and terrified.

Lucretia reached over at one point to take her hand, and Lup was immeasurably grateful for the comfort. She was scared beyond belief, but Lucretia was here with her, at least. At least she wasn’t alone in this.

Lup could have sobbed in relief when they reached her car. She reached into her bag, digging around for her keys.

She couldn’t find them.

Her heart stuttered and stopped, unable to process the fact that they might’ve made it back to the car only to be locked out.

“Can you… not find your keys?” Lucretia said, voice wobbling.

“I’m sure they’re in here, I just…” Lup trailed off, kneeling on the pavement and dumping out the contents of her bag. She flipped over notes and documents, but her keyring was nowhere to be found.

Lup could _cry_ from fear and frustration.

Lucretia had at some point kneeled beside her to aid her search.

They were both too preoccupied to notice the footsteps approaching until it was too late.

Edward and Lydia loomed above them, Lydia dangling a familiar keyring from her pointer finger.

“Well,” Edward drawled, examining the evidence currently spread out on the pavement. “That stationary is awfully familiar.”

“We thought we’d do you a favor and bring you the keys you dropped in the shop when your purse spilled,” Lydia said. “But it seems we shouldn’t have afforded you the kindness.”

“I don’t like to be lied to, you know,” Edward said. “What shall we do about these two, Lydia?”

Lup reached over unthinkingly to grip Lucretia’s arm.

“If you two accompany us back to the shop, _without protest_ , perhaps we can come to some agreement,” Lydia drawled.

It was a trap. Lup knew it was a trap, and by the look on Lucretia’s face, she knew it was a trap, too.

But what choice did they have? These were killers. They couldn’t be reasoned with.

Lup nodded, swallowing, before standing and helping Lucretia up beside her. Edward gathered up Lup’s evidence, and they headed back to the shop.

 

It was a trap.

As soon as the door to Wonderland had shut, its chiming bell announcing their arrival once more, Edward and Lydia were dragging them across the room. Lup vaguely remembered a lacey handkerchief being pressed to her face before she passed out.

And she awoke tied to a chair.

Lup followed her first instinct, which was to look for Lucretia— and sighed in bittersweet relief when she spotted her, tied to a chair sitting back-to-back with her own.

 _Just like in the movies,_ Lup thought drolly.

 Lucretia still seemed to be unconscious, so Lup examined the rest of their surroundings.

They appeared to be in an emptied walk-in freezer of sorts. The walls were sterile and metallic, clouded with condensation from the cold.

And, boy, was it cold _._ Lup was already shivering, and she’d only just awoken. Still, she didn’t think it was quite cold enough to cause them any major problems. At most they’d just end up with the sniffles.

The large, industrial door at the room’s entrance swung open with a screech; Lup could hear Lucretia startle awake behind her, but Lup was focused solely on the two shadows in the entrance.

“Oh, _wonderful_ , you’re awake,” Edward crooned, stepping inside. “You two are awfully heavy sleepers, did you realize?”

“I think anybody can be a ‘heavy sleeper’ if you fucking _drug_ them,” Lup snapped. “What do you want from us?”

“Oh, nothing in particular…” Edward answered cryptically.

“But we _certainly_ couldn’t have you blabbing to the police about us,” Lydia said. “It’d just make far too much of a mess of things; surely you understand.”

“Mmm, don’t call me Shirley,” Lucretia quipped, voice still slurred from sleep. Lup hoped that was a good sign that Lucretia was at least lucid enough to reference quality 80’s flicks.

Edward snickered.

“ _Classic_ ,” he said. “In any case, would you ladies be willing to tell us what you know of our, mmm, _operation_?”

“You mean how you’re blackmailing Lucas Miller for the names of his clients so you can then pick folks to torture and kill?” Lup said. “The only thing we don’t know yet is why.”

Lydia hummed tunelessly in apparent thought.

“Edward, dear— is this our chance to recite some lengthy villain speech, do you think?” Lydia said.

Edward laughed uproariously, as though this were the funniest thing he’d heard in months.

“ _Please_ , yes,” he eventually said. “We have such a _captive_ audience here, after all.”

Lydia chuckled.

“Did you know this place used to be a butcher shop?” she eventually spoke, conversationally. “Family-owned, I hear. But they went bankrupt about ten years back— that’s when Edward and I moved in.”

“Tattoos paid the bills, yes, but our real passion, you see, lay in humanitarianism,” Edward said. “Spiritual philanthropy, if you will.”

“Lucas Miller has been funding the seediest of sorts for quite a while now,” Lydia cut in. “We took notice and decided to give these misguided souls some… _perspective_.”

“Whatever it was they desired— a car, a vacation, a fancy rock for their beloved— in their time with us, they came to realize how little it all meant,” Edward said. “They came to realize that the only commodity they truly needed was their life.”

“So… why do you still kill them, after all that?” Lucretia finally asked.

Lydia sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately, they were all a bit too far-gone by the time we were through with them,” Lydia said. “Broken, I guess you could call it. Their spirits just weren’t strong enough to endure our unique therapies.”

“But soon, we’ll get it right,” Edward said. “And these past cases, though disappointing, have successfully paved the way for our future.”

“You’re fucking nuts,” Lup spat, filled with a venomous hatred, enough to nearly overshadow her fear.

Lydia and Edward laughed. The harsh overhead lighting of the freezer cast horrible shadows on their faces, making their features look twice as gaunt and disturbed.

“Well, we’ve certainly been called worse,” Lydia said. “Now, tell me— does anybody else know the things about us that you do?”

Abruptly, Lup remembered the success of Lucretia’s acting earlier, and braced herself to do something stupid.

“Actually, yes, somebody does,” Lup bluffed. “We called our colleague about what we’d discovered right after leaving your shop.”

Somehow, Lup could sense Lucretia coming to attention behind her, and knew that she was on-board with Lup’s plan.

“He said he would head to the station for backup,” Lucretia said. “Depending on how long we were out, the police may be fast approaching.”

Lup watched as Lydia’s and Edward’s expressions drew into ones of fear, and felt a burst of pride.

“Is that so…?” Edward muttered. “Lydia, perhaps…”

“We should go, yes,” Lydia said. “But not without taking care of _this_ issue, Edward.” She gestured toward Lup and Lucretia.

“We don’t have time,” Edward snapped. “Look, here.” Lup watched with dawning horror as Edward reached up for a dial mounted on the wall, twisting it violently with a sharp _click_. Air so cold that it stung began flowing into the room; Lup let out a whine, her teeth beginning to chatter.

“There, that’ll do it,” Edward said, already backing out of the room.

“Fine, yes,” Lydia said, stepping out.

And the door slammed shut behind them.

Lup waited quietly, listening as she heard the rattle of the cash register being emptied and, finally, the tinkling bell indicated the front door of Wonderland had shut.

Lucretia was the first to break the silence.

“Lup,” Lucretia breathed. “I’m scared.”

“I know,” Lup said. “I’m… hold on a sec, actually.”

Lup wrestled with her chair, eventually succeeding in shifting it to sit beside Lucretia. She met Lucretia’s eyes, and saw her own terror mirrored in them.

“We’ll f-figure this out,” Lup said, struggling to speak through her incessantly chattering teeth. “Don’t worry.”

Lucretia sniffled and eventually nodded.

“What’s the p-plan, then?” she asked.

 

Upon further examination, Lup and Lucretia found that their arms were tied quite securely behind them, and that their legs were well-affixed to the chairs themselves. To put it simply, they had practically no mobility of their limbs. The only things they could manage to move were the chairs themselves, which they were able to scoot by shifting their weight.

The two spent a few minutes tottering around the room in them, but when Lup almost tipped her chair over, Lucretia deemed the investigation too risky.

“It’s undoubtedly colder closer to the f-floor,” Lucretia breathed. “The floor itself is probably… downright icy. If we tip ourselves over… that c-could be it for us.”

So they settled down facing each other, beginning to truly realize they were powerless to save themselves.

Lup laughed hoarsely. She couldn’t feel her lips.

“Now I know how my Oreos felt,” she said. “Trapped in my glove compartment.”  
Lup somehow felt warmed to see Lucretia crack a smile, even while freezing to death.

“You understand, now?” Lucretia said. “I was saving them.”

They were going to die in here.

Lup whimpered, feeling tears starting behind her eyes.

“Lup?” Lucretia prompted, clearly concerned.

“I’m so sorry, Lucy,” Lup choked. “I’m so sorry I got you into this. You don’t deserve this. I’m so sorry.”

And Lucretia— _laughed_.

“No, Lup,” Lucretia said. “Don’t worry about that. I… I almost certainly deserve this.”

Lup was immediately shaking her head, violently, enough to rock her chair.

“Lup, Lup,” Lucretia said. “Stop!”

“You don’t deserve this,” Lup spoke roughly. “I won’t let you die thinking that.”

“I can explain, Lup,” Lucretia plead. “P-please, let me explain this. Before I pass— I need… to tell somebody.”

Lup eventually settled, because she knew a last request when she heard it. She gave Lucretia a nod, to show she was listening.

“Forgery,” Lucretia said eventually. “That was w-what I did before I worked at the station. And nobody knows that, Lup— I never got caught. I was the b-best at what I did. People came to me for anything you could think of: notes, contracts… checks, _evidence_ …” Lucretia trailed off, looking suddenly enraged.

“D-d-d- _damn_ ,” Lup stuttered.

“Damn indeed,” Lucretia said. “I was just… I was just a stupid girl, fresh out of college, with… no job p-prospects, and a useless degree.” Lucretia’s speech was slowing, the effort of forcing the words out beginning to be too much. Her eyelids were beginning to droop.

“Why did you… stop doing it?” Lup prompted. She needed to keep Lucretia awake. She needed to keep her alive.

“I couldn’t l-live… couldn’t live with myself,” Lucretia said. “Still can’t… but it’s better. Knowing I’m w-with the g-good guys… now…” Lucretia yawned.

“Don’t… don’t go to sleep,” Lup spoke, realizing that even her own brain was beginning to feel foggy. “You don’t deserve to die… Lucretia...”

“I… did h-horrible things, just… to survive….” Lucretia slurred. “I was no b-better… than Lucas Miller.”

“Not t-true,” Lup protested. “You’re, like… _way_ hotter than he is.”

Lucretia smiled sleepily, letting out of a few rasping breaths that perhaps were meant to be a laugh.

“That’s not… a v-very impressive compliment,” Lucretia said, head drooping. “But… I’ll take it…”

Lucretia’s eyes began to slide close, her lips falling open as she drifted off.

“Wait… n-no…” Lup murmured. “You can’t… go to sleep. Lucy… Luc…”

Lup couldn’t quite remember why they weren’t supposed to sleep, actually. But it felt important.

Her own vision was blurring as her eyelids drooped. She was tired.

Lup thought she heard Lucretia murmur her name. She was _so_ tired.

 

Blessedly, she was still conscious when the door creaked open, though she couldn’t process what it meant.

“Aunt Lup!”

Oh, that was Angus. Wasn’t he supposed to be with Taako?

Where was she?

“Lup, Lucretia, I’m so sorry,” a face stooped before her. Kravitz?

The ropes weren’t so tight anymore. They were falling, actually, to the ground beside her. She was untied, now. Why had she been tied up?

Gentle arms carried her bridal style. She felt herself sway, curling closer to Kravitz’s warmth. She’d been cold.

“Wait,” Lup plead, weakly hitting Kravitz’s chest with her fist. “Lucy, get Lucy. She shouldn’t… _please_ …”

Kravitz hushed her.

“We have her, I brought back-up,” Kravitz soothed. “An ambulance is coming. You’re fine, you’re fine.”

“I’m _confused_ ,” Lup whined. “What’s hap’ning?”

“That’s the hypothermia,” Kravitz said. “You’ll be fine, Lup, just focus on me right now.”

Lup drifted.

 

Lup finally began to feel lucid again while lying in a hospital bed in the ER. She remembered vaguely being brought there, and being nearly suffocated with blankets. She was still cocooned in them.

“What hospital is this?” Lup asked the female nurse who was tinkering with her IV.

“Oh!” the nurse cried, clearly startled. “You’re at the Neverwinter Grove Hospital, sweetheart.”

Lup nodded.

“Has my brother been called?” she asked. That was the most important thing.

“I think he just arrived— his boyfriend and your nephew went out to meet him,” the nurse said. Kravitz and Angus, then.

“And… where’s the woman who came in with me? Lucretia?” Lup said, her voice unwittingly beginning to grow panicked. “Lucretia? Is she…?”

The nurse hushed her.

“She’s fine, just as well as you,” the woman said. She flicked Lup’s IV bag. “This is just a warmed salt water solution, by the way. It’s been working nicely for getting your temperature back up. How’re you feeling?”

“Sweaty,” Lup replied honestly.

“That’s good, then,” the nurse hummed. “We can probably remove some of those blankets.”

Just then, the curtain for Lup’s ER cubicle was thrown back, revealing a frantic Taako, still clad in his apron from work. Lup wiggled her arms out from her blanket cocoon and held her arms out, which Taako collapsed into, hugging her tightly.

“Lup,” Taako murmured weakly into her hair. “ _Lup._ You nearly got yourself _killed_.”

“I’m fine, Taako,” Lup said, even as tears began to run down her own cheeks, the reality of how bad things could have gotten beginning to dawn on her.

“Don’t do that again,” Taako whispered, too soft for anybody else to hear, as he clutched her. “Please, I _can’t_ get a fucking call like that again, Lup.”

“I’d rather not nearly get dead again either, so,” Lup said, “We’re on the same page there.”

Taako nodded, holding her a moment longer before stepping back and discreetly wiping his eyes.

“Aunt Lup! You’re awake!” Angus said, tackling her into her next hug. “I was so afraid! You called and said it was an emergency, but then the line went dead and that was really scary! But then I saw you sent a selfie to Taako from that Chipotle with a map pinned on the wall behind you and I was able to narrow down your location from there!”

Lup pressed several kisses to the crown of her little savior’s head.

“My sweet detective boy,” Lup praised. “What would we do without you?”

“Well, I guess you’d just be getting yourself killed out there!” Angus said, grinning.

Lup cackled, playfully pushing Angus off of her.

Kravitz stood awkwardly at the corner of Lup’s cubicle, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, Lup,” Kravitz said. “I’m sorry, if I’d known this case had any correlation to the serial killer…”

Lup cut him off by waving him forward and grabbing him into a hug of his own when he approached.

“Thank you,” she spoke as she held him, and his body slackened with relief as he reached around to return the embrace.

“You gave us all a real scare,” he said before pulling back with a smile.

 

Lup’s doctors insisted that she spend a night at the hospital for observation.

Lup had made a fuss about it initially but eventually she complied, letting them wheel her up to a room and get her settled there.

Taako propped himself up on the windowsill, allowing Angus the bedside chair. Kravitz had to leave after Lup was situated; there was quite a bit of work to do tying up loose ends on the case.

“We were able to catch Lydia and Edward on their way out of the country,” Kravitz had informed her. “Once we had their identities they were far easier to track. For all that they’d tried to deal in cash, they left quite a paper trail elsewhere.”

The news was a relief, for sure, but Lup still didn’t feel quite like she could properly relax yet. Whenever she felt drowsy she was back in that freezer, struggling to stay awake.

At one point in the late afternoon Taako sat himself down beside her, taking one of her hands in both of his without prompting. Her brother had always known her best; he clearly could tell she was shaken.

“It’ll be okay, Lulu,” Taako said. “You’re safe.”

“I know,” Lup breathed. “I know.”

 

Kravitz returned in the early evening with good news— Lucretia was in a room down the hall, and she was stable and awake.

Lup was already sitting up, hastily pushing blankets off of her and grabbing her IV pole.

“Can I see her?” she asked, even as she stood.

Taako cackled as Kravitz swooped forward to hold Lup’s elbow, steadying her.

“I can take her, Krav,” Taako said. “Stay here with the boy.”

Angus had drifted off into a doze a few hours earlier— for all that he’d saved their hides today, he was still a very little boy who was very tuckered out from an eventful day.

 

Kravitz situated himself on the windowsill beside Angus, and Taako took Lup’s arm and helped her hobble down the hall, dragging her IV stand behind her.

Lucretia’s door was already open. Lup stepped inside, Taako falling a bit behind her.

Lucretia was tucked with several blankets in her hospital bed, staring out her window, wearing a troubled expression.

Still— she was alive. She was safe. Lup felt that she could cry.

So… she did.

Lucretia jumped at the sound of Lup starting to whimper, and though Lup’s face was undoubtedly crumpled with emotions in some unattractive way, Lucretia looked at her with an indescribable amount of affection.

“Oh, _Lup_ ,” Lucretia said, and that was all it took. Lup was starting over to Lucretia’s bed, perching on its side and embracing her.

She sobbed brokenly into Lucretia’s shoulder.

“You’re okay,” Lucretia soothed, rubbing Lup’s back.

“ _You’re_ okay,” Lup said. “I’m so _glad._ Lucy…”

Lup could hear the sound of her brother stepping out of the room for a moment, giving them their space.

“Even after all I told you…?” Lucretia asked, a beat after Taako left.

“ _Yes_ , Lucy, of _course_ ,” Lup said. “Luc… everybody’s done shitty stuff they’re not proud of. You did some… _especially_ shitty stuff, yeah, but look how you’ve bounced back from it! What happened then— it doesn’t matter. It’s what you’re doing now, to be better, that counts. At least in my eyes. Maybe not in those of the law, but I’m no snitch.”

“Lup…” Lucretia trailed off. “We work with the police. We are, by definition, snitches.”

“Whatever,” Lup dismissed. “Listen: you’re a good person. I know it. Kravitz knows it. Even Angus knows it!”

“Angus…?” Lucretia repeated. “Did I really make that much of an impression on him?”

“He told me, _specifically_ , that he thought you were a good person,” Lup confirmed. “He also totally knew that you were hiding something, by the way.”

Lucretia sniffled.

“Angus is a very bright boy,” she said.

“He saved our lives,” Lup agreed.

 

Lup brought Oreos to Lucretia’s office on their first day back.

Lucretia laughed heartily before offering Lup some tea.

They sat with tea and cookies and chatted lightly, steering clear all topics concerning killers, loan companies or freezers.

But it was only a matter of time before it came up.

“We don’t have to talk about it, Lup,” Lucretia said. “But I wanted you to know… I’m so grateful for you. You saved my life.”

“No, shut up. That was Angus,” Lup said. “Me? I was the reason your life was in danger in the first place.”

“Well, for the record,” Lucretia said. “You’re also the reason that I feel happier now than I’ve been in ages. I’ve had so much fun with you, Lup. Minus the near-death experience, naturally.”

Lup grinned.

“What’s a little trauma between friends, right?” she said.

“Nothing we can’t get through together,” Lucretia said.

A silence fell upon the two of them, then, that felt somehow significant. Whereas their other silences that day had been comfortable, this one felt bloated with words left unspoken. Lup could tell, with one look at Lucretia, that they were feeling the discomfort.

“So…”

“I…”

The two of them spoke up at the same time, and broke down into giggles, the tension between them starting to dissipate.

“You can go,” Lucretia said, waving Lup on.

Well. Now or never.

“I mean, yeah. Okay,” Lup said, taking a deep breath before pushing onward. “So uh, you know, you’re… you’re really amazing, sort of. I had fun with you out there, too, and… I’d like to do… more of that…?”

Lucretia snickered.

“You’ve such a way with words, Lup,” she teased. “I’m swooning.”

“Oh, shove off,” Lup said, blushing furiously. “Will you go on a fucking date with me or not?”

Lucretia reached across the desk, then, placing a tentative hand on Lup’s cheek. Her callused palm cradled her so delicately, a feather-light caress. Lup leaned into the touch.

“I’d… truly, I’d be honored,” Lucretia breathed. “Lup…”

Lup stood abruptly, bringing her own hand to cover the one Lucretia had on her cheek so she didn’t think to pull away.

And then she leaned over the desk and pressed a soft kiss to Lucretia’s lips.

Lucretia at first froze, but quickly she recuperated and returned the chaste kiss, chapped lips pressed firmly to Lup’s.

Lup felt a little light-headed as she pulled away.

“Sorry if that was, uh, too much,” Lup apologized when she came back to her senses.

But Lucretia was still grinning uselessly, staring into space as she held two fingers lightly to her lips in giddy disbelief.

Lup laughed.

“You, uh,” Lup said. “You good?”

“ _Wonderful_ ,” Lucretia breathed. And it was so infuriatingly adorable— of course Lup had to lean in for another kiss. Or ten more, maybe.

It might have been five minutes, or it might have been twenty, when Kravitz interrupted them, clearing his throat from the doorway.

Lup pulled away from Lucretia and cocked an eyebrow, unabashed. Kravitz looked smug for some reason; Lup didn’t like it.

“I thought I’d find you here, Lup,” Kravitz said. “There’s something we need to discuss.”

“Oh? Should we go to your office?” Lup asked.

“No, we can do it here,” Kravitz said. “It’s actually convenient I’ve caught the two of you together— this is relevant to you as well, Lucretia.”

“Do go on, then,” Lucretia said, still looking flustered. “…ah, did you want some tea?”

When Kravitz was settled in with a hot mug of earl grey, he began to speak.

“The higher-ups— Mr. Andrew, especially— they were impressed with your performance on this case,” Kravitz said, addressing Lup. “Well, _impressed_ is not quite the correct word for it— you acted recklessly and unprofessionally, obviously, and under any other circumstances this would not reflect nearly as well on you. But they do feel indebted, and relieved. I think we’re all happy the Neverwinter Nightmare case is behind us. So…”

Lup grinned wolfishly.

“ _So...?_ ” she echoed.

“A promotion,” Kravitz said. “On a provisional basis. This will guarantee you’ll consistently be investigating actual cases out in the field.”

Lup was about to let out a cheer when Kravitz held up a cautionary finger. But there was a smile on his lips.

“Let me finish,” Kravitz said. “There is _one_ catch.”

Lup huffed out a sigh, but gestured for him to proceed.

“Seeing as this is a _provisional_ arrangement,” Kravitz said, “They didn’t want to send you out into the field alone. And… I may have pulled a few strings, here, to recommend Lucretia as your investigational partner. Since you’ve already proven you work so well together.”

Lup glanced over at Lucretia, who looked on in disbelief.

“So basically what you’re saying is that I’m indebted to you, forever,” Lup said to Kravitz, grinning toothily. “That’s basically what you’re saying.”

Kravitz returned her smile.

“Yes, basically,” he said, before turning to Lucretia. “Would this be an offer you’d be willing to accept, Lucretia?”

Lucretia was nodding before he finished speaking.

“ _Yes_ ,” she said emphatically. “Yes, that sounds… _good_.”

“I’ll pass word along that we’re good to go, then,” Kravitz said, standing. “I’d say that I’m growing tired of playing the messenger pigeon, but it _is_ less depressing than my usual work.”

Kravitz gave them a wink and a jaunty wave before ducking out of the office, leaving Lucretia and Lup to process.

 

They left the station together that day.

It was warmer out than it had been in a while, the sun working to dry puddles from days prior.

“It smells like summer,” Lup said. “You smell that, Luc?”

“Let me take a whiff,” Lucretia said, sniffing theatrically. “Yes, it certainly does, Lup. That’s summer air.”

“Sure is,” Lup said, smiling. “Hey, our friend Magnus actually has these super fun barbecues in the summer. You should come to one of them.”

“Would I be welcome?” Lucretia said.

“Abso _lutely_ ,” Lup said. “Magnus is just, like, a huge muscly teddy bear. More’s always the merrier with him.”

“I’ll think about it, then,” Lucretia said, smiling. “Thank you, Lup.”

“Nothing to thank me for, Lucy,” Lup said.

Neither could say who reached for the other’s hand, but at that point it didn’t matter.

Hand in hand, they walked on.

**Author's Note:**

> it's funny bc this turned into a much bigger universe than i thought it would? like i suddenly have all these hcs for everybody here that i didn't even include in the fic  
> like i did hint at angus being autistic here but autistic!angus ends up in 100% of whatever i write. i just project so hard on that boy
> 
> but yeah if there's any interest i might make this the beginning a series of lup and lucretia solving mysteries? bc i had a lotta fun w this one??? if not it's chill but if you WOULD like to see that please let me know. i need that validation and positive reinforcement my dude it fuels me


End file.
